Brandon Alvión, Tsilala Brock & More to Star in BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY at Barrington Stage Company
The production opens Friday, July 21, 2023 and plays through August 5, 2023 on BSC’s Boyd-Quinson Stage
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jun. 30, 2023
The full cast and creative team has been set for Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky at Barrington Stage Company, directed by Candis C. Jones (The Public Theater: shadow/land; Studio Theater: Clyde’s). The production opens Friday, July 21, 2023 and plays through August 5, 2023 on BSC’s Boyd-Quinson Stage (30 Union Street).
Blues for an Alabama Sky will feature Brandon Alvión (Broadway National Tour: A Soldier’s Play; Virginia Repertory Theatre: Chicken & Biscuits) as Guy Jacobs, Tsilala Brock (The Public Theater: SUFFS; 2nd National Tour: The Book of Mormon) as Angel Allen, DeLeon Dallas (STARZ: “Power Book III: Raising Kanan;” La Jolla Playhouse: To the Yellow House) as Leland Cunningham, Ryan George (Repertory Theater of St. Louis: The Play That Goes Wrong; Florida Repertory Theater: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) as Sam Thomas, and Jasminn Johnson (Broadway: Ain’t No Mo’; Crossroads Theatre Company: Freedom Rider) as Delia Patterson.
The Harlem Renaissance fills the streets with jazz, gin, and opportunity, but not for singer Angel and her chosen family of artists and activists who navigate the cultural and social changes in their neighborhood. When a handsome young man from Alabama catches her eye, she must decide if she wants to pursue her dreams with her friends or seek easy comfort with her southerner. Originally produced in 1995, this dreamy, atmospheric work has won a newfound appreciation as a contemporary classic that was ahead of its time.
Blues for an Alabama Sky features scenic design by Sydney Lynne (Long Wharf Theatre: Dreamhou$e; Victory Gardens Theater: Queen of the Night), costume design by Danielle Preston (Studio Theatre: Fat Ham; Signature Theatre: Penelope), lighting design by Adam Honoré (Broadway: Chicken & Biscuits, Ain't No Mo', upcoming Purlie Victorious), sound design by Fabian Obispo (BSC: ABCD, American Underground, The Chinese Lady; The Public Theater: Sea Wall / A Life), and wig design by Earon Nealey (Broadway: Fat Ham, Chicken & Biscuits). The Production Stage Manager is Hope Villanueva (Kennedy Center: The Day You Begin; Studio Theatre: Hand to God) and the Assistant Stage Manager is Merit Glover (BSC: 10x10 New Play Festival).
The Boyd-Quinson Stage season features the legendary Tony Award-winning musical Cabaret (now-July 8), directed by BSC Artistic Director Alan Paul, BSC Associate Artist and Tony Award winner William Finn’s A New Brain (August 16-September 10), produced in association with Williamstown Theatre Festival, directed by BSC Associate Artist Joe Calarco, and Steinberg Playwright Award winner Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play English (September 27-October 15).
The St. Germain Stage season at Barrington Stage Company opened with The Happiest Man on Earth by Mark St. Germain, based on Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku’s extraordinary 2020 memoir of the same name, published when Jaku was 100 years old, starring Kenneth Tigar and directed by Ron Lagomarsino. The St. Germain season continues with Mike Lew’s tiny father (now-July 22), a co-world premiere play produced by Chautauqua Theater Company and BSC, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. The season concludes with a revival of Brian Friel’s Faith Healer (August 1-27), directed by Julianne Boyd and starring BSC Associate Artists Christopher Innvar, Mark H. Dold and Gretchen Egolf.
BSC casting is by McCorkle Casting (Pat McCorkle, CSA; Rebecca Weiss, CSA).
TICKET INFORMATION
For tickets to Blues for an Alabama Sky or the BSC Season, please call the BSC Box Office at 413-236-8888 or visit www.BarringtonStageCo.org/Tickets.
ABOUT BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY
Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Alan Paul and Managing Director Meredith Lynsey Schade, is an award-winning theatre located in Pittsfield, MA, in the heart of the Berkshires. Co-founded in 1995 by Julianne Boyd, BSC’s mission is to produce top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to engage our community with vibrant, inclusive educational outreach programs. Alan Paul succeeded Ms. Boyd as the company’s Artistic Director in 2022.
BSC attracts over 60,000 patrons annually and has gained national recognition for its superior-quality productions and comprehensive educational programming, including the award-winning Playwright Mentoring Project, the Musical Theatre Conservatory, Youth Theatre, KidsAct! and other initiatives. The company has become integral to the economic revitalization of downtown Pittsfield.
BSC’s reputation for excellence began with a smash revival of Cabaret that moved to Boston in 1997 for an extended run. The theatre’s prominence grew with the world premiere of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin (BSC 2004; Broadway 2005-2008, winner of two Tony Awards). Other notable productions include the world premiere of Christopher Demos-Brown’s American Son (BSC 2016; Broadway 2018); Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session (BSC 2009; Off-Broadway 2010-2012); Leonard Bernstein, Comden & Green’s On the Town (BSC 2013; Broadway 2014, four Tony Award nominations); Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company, starring Aaron Tveit (2017); and West Side Story in honor of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins’ centenaries (2018).
BSC develops and commissions new work with two programs: PlayWorks, which supports the creation of new plays, and the Musical Theatre Lab, which develops new musicals. Since 1995, BSC has produced 45 new works, 22 of which have moved to New York and major US regional theatres.
Comments
Videos